Four Years Later
by bmay
Summary: Four years later, Giygas is defeated and Ness is having Bad dreams. Ness and Paula's romance deepens. The Earth is put in peril once again.
1. Chapter 1

Ness turned in his sleep, grunting and thrashing at the images passing through his mind. _**Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, I'm H…A…P…P…Y, **_The images and sounds rushed through his mind, memories of his defeated enemy, nightmares of Giygas. It had been years since he stopped Giygas, but why was this all coming back now? For some reason Ness could handle the terror of Giygas's true form when he was younger, but now, in his mid-teens, the images of the swirling red horror, the brutal psionic attacks, the pain he endured as Paula prayed for aid was all too much now; he hadn't slept well for almost a year. One nightmare/memory was so vivid that he threw his dresser across the room in his sleep with his PSI. Ness opened his eyes the find himself in his room, in his house, and not in the Cave of the Past countless eons ago fighting a mad god. He could still hear the wringing of Giygas's voice in his ears. _**Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness,**__ . _Ness flinched as he heard his name over and over again inside his head. "Get out…" He mumbled, sitting up in his bed, his hands grasping his head like it would fall off at any second. _**Friends...You Are M…I…N…E, **_Ness cracked his neck and decided to use a trick Paula had taught him to fall asleep. He'd always liked her, loved her even, ever since he heard her voice in his sleep calling out for help. But he could never tell her this, that he was plagued by the past that Poo and Jeff seemed to have moved past. Ness bet even Paula slept like a baby every night without a second thought to all the hardships she, Ness, Jeff, and Poo had endured. Ness had to bottle this down and hide it, but it was getting harder, he was growing closer to Paula than ever, He saw Jeff semi-frequently for advice one homework and he trained with Poo a couple of times a month. But most of all it was about Paula, the girl Ness loved and always will. They'd kissed once after he'd walked her home after all the business with saving the world was done but they'd remained only friends despite the obvious feelings from both sides. Even Jeff, with his lack of social grace, could see it, and Poo tried to let them sort it out on their own. Ness laid back in bed and put his hand on his heart, and remembered the words Paula had told him. . . .

"Whenever I can't sleep, I think about when you hold me and I can feel your heart next to mine." Paula said one day. She took Ness's hand and put it over her heart so he could feel the gentle beating. Ness could feel it beating fast at that moment and Paula blushed, she took her hand and put it on Ness's chest, his gentle heartbeat sped up too. The two teens stood there waiting for the other to speak, and for their hearts to stop racing. Eventually only the latter occurred and Ness and Paula felt the gentle beating of their dear ones heart in almost complete synch with their own. "Now my heart is in your hands Ness, and whenever you can't sleep or feel lonely, just press it against yours and I'll be there with you." Ness nodded, his face bright crimson.

"And you have mine Paula, you always have." Ness replied, his voice breaking a little.

"Ness…" Paula giggled; the two moved in closer before Paula's nervous nature got the better of her and she began to babble and raced off upstairs to hide her head in a pillow and scream, this left Ness alone in the living room of the Polestar residence so he let himself out. . . .

Back in his bed on this particular night, Ness put his hand on his heart, the hand that held Paula's beat. He could feel his own and almost feel Paula's, as if she were lying next to him. Giygas's voice died out and Ness fell into the best sleep he'd had in months. Ness awoke the next morning a shining summer sky, a few clouds here and there. He rose from his bed and dressed himself in a t-shirt and shorts, he looked at his old cap on one of his bedposts and chuckled, the thing hadn't fit him in at least a year. He walked downstairs and found his Mom and sister Tracy talking over breakfast. Ness yawned and sat down at the table, in front of him was steak and eggs, more eggs than steak as was the usual breakfast tradition of late. His mother was trying to wean him off steak ever so slowly but with no luck yet. Ness tuned into Tracy's conversation with Mom.

"But why can't I?" Tracy asked in a cliché 11 year old tone.

"Because you're too young." Mom said plainly, Ness cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, savoring each morsel.

"But this time is different Mom, I really like him!" Tracy pleaded. "You know, like LIKE LIKE him. "

"That's what you said about the last boy and look how quickly you got over him." Mom attested. "How do I know this isn't going to be that boy from school all over again?" Tracy blushed and pouted significantly.

"Don't get me started on Troy, he just wanted me so he could get to know Ness." _**Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness**__._ Ness cringed hearing his name spoken out loud by someone other than the voice in his head. Although he thought he heard the voice form his nightmares echo Tracy. He chalked it up to being up for about 10 minutes. "But this is Picky, we've known him for years and he's finally gotten away from his awful parents!" Tracy said excitedly. Mom sat and thought for a minute. Ness continued to eat his steak, hoping he wouldn't be roped back in to the conversation.

"Okay." Mom said, putting up her hands. "If I was going to let you date anyone it'd be Picky but I remain firm in the belief that you're far too young to start dating anyone." The hairs on the back of Ness's neck began to prickle, he could feel what was coming next.

"But Ness started dating Paula when he was 13, and that was four years ago, that's like forever Mom." Tracy reasoned.

"Urk!" Ness grunted, egg in his mouth that was now being swallowed quickly so he could speak. He turned red, a very bright shade of red. "We are not dating, we're just friends!" he shouted. He covered his mouth quickly. "That was a lot louder than I intended." Ness said quietly, uncovering his mouth a bit. Tracy and Mom sat and stared each with one eyebrow raised.

"Okay dear…" Mom said calmly. She turned back to Tracy, "The fact remains that you're too young." And that was that, Tracy harrumphed and finished her food before trudging upstairs. Ness remained a brilliant shade of vermillion as he ate his food, he knew his mom too well and he expected what was about to come next. "So…" Mom began, but before she could speak the phone rang. Ness jumped up.

"I'll get it!" He said loudly before racing to the phone as fast as he could. He answered it quickly. "Hello?" He said. _**Ness**__. _Ness shook his head. "Hello?"

"Ness?" said a familiar voice. Ness smiled.

"Hey Paula," He said, calming down. "How are you? Did you sleep well?"

"I'm great actually," Paula said, giggling a little "and I slept great too. Everything is just…" She paused

"Great?" Ness filled in for her.

"Hmph, taking the words right out of my mouth I see?" Paula said, "I guess I won't tell you my good news then." She began teasing Ness a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ness said sincerely. "I want to hear your good news so you should tell me your good news, I like good news." Ness was fumbling over his words.

"I take it you want to hear what I have to say." Paula replied, Ness could feel her raising an eyebrow even through the phone. He sighed, trying to calm down.

"Maybe a little…" He mumbled, fumbling with the cord on the phone.

"Okay then." Paula laughed. "So my parents are going to be in Fourside for the next three days, I think it's their anniversary? But that doesn't matter, because I have the house to myself for the next three days and two nights…so I was wondering…" Paula began to laugh little. "Maybe you'd want to stay with me, so I'm not alone in this big old house of mine?" Ness could feel his heartbeat in his ears, he stood, silent, red faced, and sweating with the phone up to his ear as Paula talked about how they could watch old movies and throw things around with their PSI. "So what do you say, you want to come over?"

"Y-y-yes, I'd like that a lot, I'll just ask…" Ness turned around to find his mother standing right behind him with her arms crossed, but she was smiling. Ness mouthed the words "How much did you hear?" trying to not alert Paula.

"All of it." His mother said. "You can go, I'll just tell your Father and Tracy you're visiting Jeff or training with Poo." Ness's eyes widened and a huge smile was on his face.

"Paula I'll be there ASAP, just let me pack first." Ness said eagerly into the phone. He could practically hear Paula smiling on the other line.

"Okay, I'll see you in a little bit." She replied. "Bye."

"Bye." Ness said before hanging up. He hugged his mom. His mother hugged him back. "Why are you letting me go stay with Paula?"

"Because you're 17 Ness." Mom attested, "You deserve a little freedom here and there." She winked, making Ness cringe a little. He hurried upstairs to pack his backpack with the essentials. Extra clothes, underwear, toothbrush, old movies, caramels (Paula's favorite), among some other things Ness felt he'd need for the nights over at Paula's. He slipped on his favorite sneakers and rushed downstairs waving goodbye to his mother as he went. She smiled back at him as he rushed out the door and into the sunshine. Ness stopped on his front step to take in the fresh air before running out onto the dirt road in front of his house. He readied himself for takeoff, he'd pretty much mastered teleporting by now and he only needed a small stretch of road to get it going. Ness took off, leaving dust behind him as he ran down the dirt road. He was at the right speed almost instantly and he could see Twoson in front of him. _**Ness, It Hurts, Ness, NESS. **_Ness lost his concentration and tripped, falling through to Twoson at a breakneck speed.

Paula was waiting on her front step for Ness to arrive. She was hoping her plan would work. This time she'd tell Ness how she felt, she'd tell him how she'd always felt about him ever since he saved from those cultists. Paula was talking to Jeff about it the other day. She'd called him early in the morning, knowing it'd be mid-day for him over in Winters. . . .

"So you're going to seduce him?" Jeff asked "I think Ness is too thick skulled for that sort of thing." Paula sighed.

"No, I'm going to invite him over while my parents are away and tell him how I feel." Paula confessed.

"Wow." Jeff said, a little astonished. "Well he feels the same way about you too you know Paula it's obvious to anyone."

"You really think so?" Paula asked, before shaking her head. "No, no, he only sees me as a friend, there's no way someone like him could see me the way I see him." Jeff groaned "I just need to get this off my chest and hope for the best." Paula sighed and buried her head in a pillow and screamed a little.

"You okay Paula?" Jeff asked, knowing Paula's nervous nature all too well, most people never got close enough to Paula to figure it out but Ness, Jeff, and Poo had all experienced Paula's special brand of anxiety. Jeff knew what was coming next. He took a deep breath.

"nofoureyesiamcompletelynotokaybecauseilovenessbuthedoesn'tlovemeandiamgoingtotellhimanywaybecausethat'swhatIneedtodoIneedtotellhimbeacuseit'seatingmealivejeffITISEATINGMEALIVE!" Paula said in one long breath.

"Did you call me four eyes?" Jeff whimpered,

"Yes," Paula said "and I'm not sorry."

"hmph." Jeff grunted, "Fine, if that's the way you're going to be about it. I won't send you my latest invention that I made just for you and Ness." Paula perked up in her seat and sighed.

"Jeff Andonuts…' She began.

"Yes?" Jeff said smugly

"Oh wise and gracious master of the mechanical…"

"Go on?"

"I humbly apologize for calling you four eyes and will refrain from doing so until the next time I see you, where I will sock you in the arm."

"Good enough for me." Jeff said, a smile on his face. "I'll send it in the mail, it should take about a day or two to get there."

"Perfect, what does it do?" Paula asked. Jeff chuckled

"Let's just say I made if just for you and Ness." Jeff said slyly. . . .

Back on her front steps, Paula sat waiting for Ness to arrive. Jeff's invention was still wrapped up inside of a small brown box on the kitchen table. She sighed and rested her chin on her hand, propping her head up with her elbow. Suddenly a loud CRACK broke the silence of the day as Paula watched Ness bounce across the ground after being spit out of a small portal that led to Onett. "Ness!" she screamed jumping up and running across the street into the field that Ness teleported/skidded into. Small fires were beginning to grow in the field; Paula used her PSI to freeze them to stop the fire from spreading. She found Ness several meters from the street lying facedown in the grass groaning in pain. He had burns on his right side, some of his clothes were torn up, and the bottoms of his sneakers were smoking. Paula sighed with relief that he appeared mostly okay and that any injuries that could be seen could be fixed by Ness's own PSI. She crouched down next to him. "Ness?" She said quietly, "Ness?"

But in Ness's ears, he heard something different. _**Ness, **__**Ness**__**, **__**Ness,**__** Ness, **__**Ness,**__** Ness. **__**IT HURTS NESS MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP.**_ A blood curdling scream rung in his ears, Giygas's scream. This had never happened before, especially the talking during the day. Ness tried to ignore it. He stood up to find Paula crouching in front of him mouthing his name. "Paula?" Ness said quietly, the blonde girl stood up and grabbed ness by the shoulders. Her voice was now muffled but hearable. Giygas stopped screaming and talking and now Ness could hear Paula clearly she was screaming his name.

"NESS CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Paula yelled. Ness flinched as he felt pain in both his ears and down his right side.

"Loud and clear" he said saluting Paula with two fingers. "I guess I got cocky and messed up the teleport." Ness held up his hand over his head, a green light shimmered down around him and his burns were healed. Although his clothes remained somewhat tattered. PSI does wonders for the body, not so much for clothing. "Sorry to scare you Pau-" Ness's words were stopped by a slap to the face. Paula's hand moved so swiftly that he never saw it coming. But what came next confused him even more. Paula wrapped her arms around Ness and held him close, her small frame shaking as tears ran down her face.

"You'd better be sorry you idiot." Paula said, her face buried in Ness's chest. Ness wrapped one arm around her and stroked her hair with the other. "If you die because of a stupid mistake like screwing around with your PSI I'll kill you." Paula chuckled. Ness laughed, harder than he'd laughed in a while. He looked down at Paula who had stopped crying and was now babbling. "…because if you died I'd have to get Jeff to put you in a robot and robots aren't good at hugging and I don't know if I could hug a robot, but then again it'd be you in a robot and I like hugging you and am I talking again I should really not talk so much, is it hot out here…" Ness put a finger on her lips and Paula went silent. He looked deep into her blue eyes.

"Paula." Ness said calmly "I'm okay and Jeff isn't going to turn me into a robot." The two laughed as Paula led Ness into her house. They walked through the currently closed preschool and into the house proper, Ness immediately noticed the brown package on the dinner table and asked Paula what it was right away.

"Oh that?" Paula answered with a smile, " I have no idea, Jeff said he made it just for us." Ness stared at it a little.

"I'm scared and want to open it at the same time." Ness said calmly.

"Yeah me too." Paula laughed. "We'll open it tonight." Paula grabbed Ness's hand. "Now lets get you out of those torn up clothes." The two blushed. "Excuse me." Paula said rushing to the couch in the living room and muffling her screams with a pillow. Ness stood there awkwardly thinking about how many times he's blushed today and how it seemed likely there would, in fact, be a lot more flushed cheeks before his time with Paula would end in a few days. Paula returned and was about to start babbling like she usually would but stopped. "Your clothes are all messed up from your accident with the fire and the teleporting, I was just thinking you'd be more comfortable changing into some other clothes since I can see your boxers." Ness nodded and hurried to the bathroom to change into another pair of clothes from his backpack. He slipped on the jeans from his pack and pulled one of his spare shirts over his head. He left his shoes off, as they were still a little hot. He walked out of the bathroom to find Paula shaking the box Jeff had sent. A light rattling could be heard as she shook it too and fro. Ness looked at Paula as she sat on the couch and shook the box. She was wearing a blue sundress and her hair was tied up in a red bow like usual. Her face was scrunched up into an expression that both looked adorable and absolutely ridiculous. Ness chuckled and joined her on the couch.

"Figure out what it is yet?" Ness asked, now looking at the box

"No." Paula said, placing the box beside her. "I want to open it now, can we open it now?"

"Sure." Ness said. "Let me just get some scioss-." His words were interrupted by the sound of tearing cardboard and packaging. Paula ripped open the box savagely and tore away at the tissue paper packaging to find a medium sized metal box and a note addressed to her. She picked up the note and read it.

_Paula_

_ Good luck getting through that thick skull! This should help._

_Jeff. _

_P.S. Turn out the lights!_

Paula sighed and tossed the note aside. The metal box was only slightly smaller than the cardboard one it was encased in. There was a big red button on the side with the words "Press Me" written underneath. Other than the button and the two words the entire box was a pristine chrome color. She handed the box to Ness who astutely looked it over. "It's a metal box with a button." Ness said, looking disappointed. "Jeff sent you a box inside a box."

"At least we get to press a button." Paula said optimistically. Ness sighed and looked at Paula. "But we have to turn out the lights first."

"Why?"

"That's what the note said." Paula turned off the overhead lights and the lamps in the living room they were in. She also closed the doors and the blinds so that only a little light was pouring in. Paula set the mysterious metal box on the coffee table in front of them and hesitated before pressing the button. Ness cringed Paula pressed the button and the box rattled a bit. The top of the box opened and a small sphere rose from its depths. Blue, green, and red lights shown out from inside, and loud disco music began to play.


	2. Chapter 2

The music was loud and catchy. The lights flashed as trumpets trilled and the mirror ball spun wildly, bouncing light around the room. Both Ness and Paula sat stunned by the sheer volume of the music coming from the moderately sized box. They looked at each other and began to laugh hysterically. "It's as horrible as I imagined." Paula laughed, "Jeff is a mad genius!" Ness started wiggling in is seat and moving his feet to the beat of the drum.

"I kinda like it!" Ness said, standing up. He started waving his arms and shaking his hands. This all made Paula laugh even harder.

"You're such a dork!" She cried. She was laughing so hard she fell off the couch. She stood up quickly and rushed to Ness's side. "Let me show you how it's done." She then proceeded to try and dance even more ridiculously than Ness. Arms were flailing, fingers were pointed, and the laughing never stopped. The two teens kept trying to come up with the most awkward dance moves they could think of. Paula and Ness started to get tired. All the laughing and dancing made their sides hurt, and sweat glistened on their faces. The upbeat disco song started to come to a close and a slow song started. Ness and Paula got closer to each other, using each other as a crutch. They started to sway top the music of a piano, and grew ever closer to each other. Soon, they were holding one another and swaying gently to the rhythm of the song. _**I'm Happy**_. Ness heard this from somewhere. "Did you say something Paula?" Ness asked quietly, trying to ignore the whisperers.

"I said I'm happy." Paula said. _**STOP SINGING! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT! IT HURTS NESS!**_ And all time froze in that instant, save for Ness. Ness looked around, the music had stopped, the lights weren't moving, and Paula was motionless. _**I…I'm showing you…W-W-What you have…Before It is G…O…N…E.**_ Ness was terrified.

_What's going on? Is this a dream? _Ness thought. _It has to be, it's only bad dreams when he comes, he can't get me while I'm awake. I'm just daydreaming._ Ness closed his eyes tight, and once he opened them, the music started, Paula began swaying, and the lights spun around the room. He sighed in relief.

"You okay Ness?" Paula whispered, "You just kept staring at me there for a minute."

"I was just…daydreaming." Ness said, he wasn't lying at least. Paula got in closer; her lips were inches Ness's. She was blushing and so was Ness, the lights from the music box reflected in the two teens eyes.

"Oh?" Paula said quietly. "What about?" He eyes locked on Ness's. _Please don't be too thick skulled. _Paula thought. _Please let Jeff be wrong about this one thing!_

This is what Ness was worried about, he wasn't a good liar, so he'd have to tell a truth, about something he's daydreamed about before.

_I'm drawing a blank!_ He thought. _She's being so seductive; does she like me? She's been like this before but she usually runs away before it gets this far. Okay you've got this old boy, the last time you were here you were daydreaming about telling her how you feel about her, how you've always felt about her, go with that! That is an excellent idea! Tell her dammit! _"You." Ness said smoothly, despite the rampage of thoughts through his head. Paula giggled.

_OH GEEZ, OH GOODNESS, KEEP IT TOGETHER GIRL! _Paula thought, barely holding it together, she was fighting every urge to start talking or flee. Despite all this her exterior expression remained cool. _Okay, so he's not totally clueless, or is he just playing me. No, this is Ness he doesn't play people. How dare you think that Paula you're awful. Never mind that, need a game plan, or maybe not. Just tell him, you told Jeff you would and you, Ms. Polestar, have not been one to lie so don't start now. Tell him dammit! _"Ness…" she began

"Paula…" Ness replied

"I love you!" the two said at the same time. The music stopped, the lights went out, and the mirror ball descended back into its cubbyhole in the music box. Now silence permeated the room. Both Ness and Paula's faces were completely red, although, neither one could really tell with the lights being out and all.

"You…love me?" Ness said quietly. He was still holding Paula and she was still hold him, their lips were still inches from each other.

"Of course." Paula said, looking him straight in the eyes. "I always have. Ever since you saved me. You love me?"

"Of course." Ness said. "Ever since I heard your voice in my sleep, calling out for help. How could you love me?"

"How could I not?" Paula began. "A handsome, dark haired boy brandishing a baseball bat swaggers in to save a girl and her teddy bear from a group of fanatical cultists. Then they go on a grand adventure together to defeat the greatest threat known to the entirety of creation? It's not romantic at all." Ness chuckled.

"I guess when you put it that way it is a little obvious." Ness said, feeling like an idiot. "I realized I loved you around that time too, although I was infatuated with your voice alone before that. You seemed so strong and capable despite being locked up and all. You carried our party in all those fights and you grew so powerful. Despite it all it didn't change who you are and I love that about you." The two smiled at each other. "Now what do we do?" Ness asked. Paula leaned in.

"It doesn't matter as long as we're together." She said before kissing him lightly on the lips. Ness kissed her back passionately, which Paula didn't expect. She found herself being dipped and for someone who's never had that much experience at kissing, Ness was a champ. Ness stood her back up and unlocked his lips from hers. Paula was feeling a little lightheaded and Ness's legs were about to give out. The two sat down on the couch and sprawled their limbs out. The dancing, plus the admissions of love, and the kiss seemed to have drained the two teens of all their energy. It was only 12pm and it had already been a big day for the new couple


	3. Chapter 3

Ness looked over at Paula who was breathing steadily. _How could she love me?_ Ness thought as he grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his own. He began drifting off a little, his mind wandering from place to place as Paula slept soundly next to him. She shifted close to him and rested her head on Ness's chest. He stroked her yellow hair. _**Nesssssssssss….**_ He kissed the top of her head and held her close and soon fell asleep.

In Ness's dream, needles stuck from the walls of an endless hallway, white as a hospital robe. The points were large and voices echoed from each end. _**Maria, Ness, SH-SH-SHE L…I…E…S. Maria, NESS. Why does it hurt, the song, it hurts. **_Each needle rambled on about one thing or another in Giygas's voice. Ness walked down the hall a little ways and found himself moving faster with each step. _**EACH nooOOOoote like the Prick, prICK, PRICK! of a n-n-n-needle. **_Tears began to fall down Ness's face. "I'm crying, my chest hurts but I feel happy." He whispered to himself. He continued down the hall a ways and found the needles gone and the walls were falling down. They fell outward to reveal an open plain with mountains in the distance. "I don't know this place." Ness said to himself.

"Who does then?" He replied. Ness turned around and found himself, facing himself. "Who remembers this place?"

"What do you mean?" Ness said to himself. "I'd surely remember a place like this."

"Not you." Ness's other self responded. "WHO would remember this place?" The other Ness's face shuttered like interference in a TV signal.

"Whose memory is this?" Ness asked. "Whose memory is this?" Ness found himself sinking into the ground looking up at his fading reflection.

"Surely not yours." Ness's other self said before fading completely into static as Ness sunk into the ground. Just before the earth enveloped him, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

Ness awoke on Paula's couch, but without Paula on his chest. He looked around after rubbing his eyes. "Paula?" He called out. Paula poked her head in from the kitchen.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up sleepyhead." She said cheerfully. "Come in here, I made dinner." Ness smiled and got up.

"Dinner?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen "What time is it?"

"About 6:30" Paula answered, "We slept for a while and I don't think I'm gonna get any sleep tonight." Paula giggled a little as Ness stood awkwardly in the kitchen. He looked over at the table, there were two plates, one with a nice looking pasta dish and the other has some veggies and a nice looking…

"Steak?" Ness said happily. "I didn't know you could cook." Paula blushed.

"My mom taught me a little here and there," Paula said, rubbing her hands together, "and with dad working a lot lately I cook pretty frequently for me and my mom when she's done with the kids at the preschool." Ness walked over to the table and sat down.

"It looks lovely Paula." He said, smiling. "Lets eat." Paula sat down next to him. She looked at Ness with wide eyes as he took the first bite of his steak, and sighed with relief as he said how it tasted even better than his mom's. The two laughed as they dined as Ness cracked jokes about Paula's dancing and Paula assured him that his dancing was much worse. "So that all happened then?" Ness asked. "The dancing and the kiss and the…you know…confessions of love. It wasn't all some fantastic dream?" Paula scooted in closer and kissed Ness on the cheek.

"Of course it happened you dolt." Paula said, wrapping her arms around Ness's neck. "I love you." She giggled. "It feels like there are butterflies under my skin, flapping away and tickling each muscle. It doesn't seem real, but I love you Ness." Ness chuckled.

"I feel the same way Paula." He said. "I love you too." He kissed her gently. Ness thought about how soft her lips were, and how at home he felt in her presence. He felt at peace. _**Ness.**__ Not now. _He thought in that instant. _This is too perfect of a moment for it to be ruined by him. __**NESS…S…S…S…S.**_ Ness willed Giygas's voice away and tucked him away into a deep place in his mind. He focused back on Paula. "Do you want to go for a walk, or do you want a dessert?" He asked.

"Both." Paula said excitedly

"Good." Ness said standing up. "Let me grab our dessert."

"We have ice cream in the freezer." Paula attested

"But I brought you caramels." Ness said. Paula jumped up out of her chair and hugged Ness tight.

"OHMYGOSHYOU'RETHEBEST!" Paula said loudly and fast in one breath.

"Okay, Okay!" Ness laughed. "You're gonna have to let go of me so I can go get them from my backpack." Paula frowned in an adorable fashion. "Or I could just walk there while you hold onto me like a koala." Paula smiled and nodded fast and held tighter to Ness as he walked into the living room with Paula holding him tight. He reached down into his backpack and dug around for the bag of caramels. Ness pulled out the bag the individually wrapped candies were held in. Paula squealed a little at the sight of them. Despite her love for the gooey morsels, she rarely had them so this was a real treat. Ness walked back into the kitchen, Paula still clutching tight to him, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. She hopped off, grabbed the bag, and sat down in her chair next to Ness. She unwrapped a caramel and took a bite. "Save a few, I have an idea."

"What is it?" Paula said through a mouthful of caramel. "Your idea that is?"

"We take a few caramels and melt them over some ice cream." Ness said sitting down. Paula stopped chewing for a second to think. She then chewed a little and swallowed.

"No, they're all mine." She said, laughing a little evil laugh. "No matter how good that sounds I am not giving up any of these babies." She grabbed another caramel. "Besides, if I have ice cream I'll want to collapse in a heap on the couch. I want to go for a walk after this, there will be no heaps yet." She popped the unwrapped candy into her mouth, closing her eyes and smiling at the same time. Ness chuckled and looked at her lovingly.

"Okay Paula, just enjoy them." He smiled and looked down at his feet. Ness soon found himself looking at Paula's bare feet for a little bit, and began following her legs up toward her hips. She had grown a lot since they were kids; he never really realized it before. Ness followed her hips up to her sides and then to her shoulders. She had wide shoulders for a girl, a little wider than her hips. Ness's eyes traced down Paula's collarbone, up her neck, and to her lips, _Wow!_ He thought _She's beautiful; I've never just stopped and looked at her._ Ness looked up at her face and found his eyes meeting Paula's. He stopped and found his that his tongue no longer wanted to form words to help explain what he was doing. He looked away quick and rubbed his head. His cheeks were beginning to turn a brilliant shade of vermillion. Paula smiled slyly.

"What were you doing there huh?" She asked, knowing the answer. Ness began to fumble over his words.

"Uh…You-just-ummm…I was…your…errrr." He began. "I wasn't…umm…" Paula leaned in and kissed him passionately.

"I think you're hot too." She said coolly "You dope" She chuckled and took a bite of another caramel. Ness remained in shock for a little bit, his face now a back to its normal color. He looked confused, as he'd never considered himself as attractive before, he had more of a neutral opinion of his own physical appearance. Paula took out another caramel and delicately unwrapped it before popping it into her mouth, her eyes on Ness the whole time. There was electricity in the air between them, something Ness had never felt when in Paula's company. It was intoxicating and both teens could sense it. Ness, Paula, say hello to sexual tension. Both teens were too scared to do anything about it. Ness stood up quickly.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" He shouted and hurried off. Paula sighed with relief that she no longer had to keep up her confident face. She took some deep breaths and laughed a little. Ness was in the bathroom splashing his face with cold water to cool himself down. He took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door to find Paula standing in front of him.

"I ate all the caramels really fast I was so nervous." She said. "I just wanted to let you know I'm anxious about that stuff too." Ness hugged her.

"Thank you." He said, holding her tight. "Do you want to go for that walk now?" Paula nodded and Ness let go. Paula grabbed her house key from the key bowl near the front door and opened the door. Ness slipped his shoes on and joined Paula. The two walked out into the night air and locked the door behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

Ness and Paula stood at the back of Paula's house. They hadn't left through the main entrance. The evening air was warm the sun was setting in the distance. Clouds stirred in the northern sky and spelled trouble for Ness and Paula's walk if they stayed out too late. Paula grabbed Ness's hand and the two began to walk slowly toward Burglin' Park. Street lamps flickered to life with pale light as the sky darkened, but Burglin' Park was still as lively as ever. Ness and Paula wandered around the market for a while, looking at the different foods and bobbles each vendor peddled. Ness found a necklace, made to look gold with a pink flower at the end of the chain. He handed the vendor some money and gave the necklace to Paula, who smiled warmly while putting it around her neck. "It's lovely Ness," she said. "Thank you!"

"I'm glad you like it," Ness said grabbing her hand again. The two walked up to the Chaos Theater to see who was playing. Neither of them had heard of the band or had money to pay for a ticket so they walked away. But the sound drums could be heard from inside the theater. After an hour, the sky was dark with clouds and thunder rumbled above. Light rain misted down on the town of Twoson. Ness snapped his fingers and a ball of light appeared in his free hand.

Paula fiddled with her new necklace with her free hand and led Ness under a large tree near her house. "I don't want to go inside," she said, letting go of Ness's hand and sitting down under the tree. "I love summer storms." She closed her eyes and let the wind blow through her hair. Ness sat next to her and sent the ball of light above them. He looked up into the dark clouds; Paula began to hum a little tune.

_**Such a sweet song**_, Ness heard as the thunder rumbled above. Fear laced his thoughts as Giygas's voice returned. It seemed calmer and more put together. Aware. _**She sang to me too, Mother…no…Maria, in that place, that FALSE place. **_Time froze once more in the middle of a lightning flash. Ness stood up. "NO!" he yelled. "You aren't real! You're gone!" _**Oh Ness…I may be gone, but I never left you. How c-c-could I leave? I waited s-s-s-so long for you! **_Ness screamed out but soon found himself waking next to Paula as if he'd fallen asleep. He was sitting by her side holding her hand. He put the daydream out of his mind. "What was that you were humming?" Ness asked Paula.

"Oh just a little song I made up a while ago," she said, smiling. The rain was coming down harder now.

Ness lifted his free hand and the ball of light returned to his palm. "We should head back inside," he said.

"Alright," Paula replied, standing up. "Good thing we're so close to the house!" The two scrambled toward the preschool entrance; Paula unlocked the door quickly, but the rain was coming down so hard that the both the teens were soaking wet by the time they got inside. Ness's ball of light disappeared.

"Maybe I should've brought more clothes…" Ness mumbled to himself. The preschool was dark and was only lit by the occasional flash of lightning. Rain rumbled on the rooftop and the wind howled at the windows.

Paula felt her way to the light switch and flicked into the "on" position. The room remained dark however. "I guess the power's out," Paula said now shivering.

"Where are you Paula?" Ness asked, "I can't see."

Paula snapped her fingers and brilliant red flames erupted from her hand and floated gently above her palm. "Over here, you goof," she said. Ness walked over, to Paula and huddled near her fire. "Oh, you're cold too?"

"Yeah," Ness said, also shivering. "I think it's these wet clothes," In an instant Ness realized what he said. Once again, the tension in the air grew.

"Y-yeah," Paula said nervously, "w-we should probably change." She looked up at Ness, her gaze deep and penetrating. There was a new confidence in her eyes.

Ness met her eyes, "These were my spare clothes, though…"

"Then I guess…" Paula said, her lips millimeters from Ness's. He could smell her breath; it was intoxicating. "We'd better warm up another way, hmmm?" she pecked his lips lightly and led him into the house. Ness was nervous; he had ideas of what was coming next, very vague ideas in fact. While Paula had a clear image in her head of what she wanted. Paula was leading up the stairs to her room, but before any of their fantasies could be realized, a jolt of electricity went down Ness's spine. In his eyes he world around him turned bright colors.

_**You think I'd let you be happy Ness? Do you think I'd let you enjoy your victory? YOU WILL SUFFER AS I DID IN MY LAST MOMENTS! **_Ness went limp and tumbled down the stairs headfirst. Paula screamed.

She rushed down and held him tight. "NESS! Are you okay? Come on talk to me!" she yelled. But Ness didn't respond; his limbs were limp and his eyes were closed. Paula pressed her ear to his chest. His heart was still beating and she could feel his chest filling with air. She sighed with relief but her panic was not gone. She dragged him to the couch and laid him down on his back. _What happened, one moment he was fine and the next?_ she thought, sitting next to him and stroking his hair. _Should I take him to the hospital?_ Before Paula could come to any conclusions about Ness's condition, a loud crack came from in front of her house. It sounded almost like thunder or a gunshot, but Paula knew the sound; someone had teleported just outside her house. Soon came a banging at the preschool door. Paula hesitantly left Ness's side, grabbed a frying pan, and walked to the front door. She slowly opened the door and lifted the pan high above her head ready to swing. But dropped after seeing who was there. In front of her, soaking went and steaming, were Poo and Jeff, their faces heavy with worry. Paula lunged forward and hugged the two young men, tears filling her eyes. "Thank goodness you two are here," she sobbed. But a realization dawned on her. She took a step back from them. "Wait, why are you two here?"

Jeff and Poo looked worn out and battered. Bruises adorned their bodies and their clothes were torn. Poo was holding his sword and Jeff had his bazooka slung around his back, and a gun in hand. "Something's wrong, Paula," Jeff said.

"Very wrong," Poo said, putting his sword away. "Can we come in?"

"O-of course," Paula stepped out of the way to let Jeff and Poo inside. Jeff holstered his gun and cleaned off his glasses. Paula created a fire and lead Poo and Jeff into the living room where Ness was lying. The two newcomers saw Ness and rushed to his side.

"How long has he been like this?" Jeff asked, feeling Ness's forehead. "He has a fever, and we need to get him out of these clothes."

"Hold on," Poo said, lifting his hand. "A light blue light filled the room, small beads of light descended toward Ness, but when they reached him, they sputtered and erupted in a flash of purple light. Paula, Jeff, and Poo were all knocked back. "PSI won't work on him it seems." Poo said, standing up, his long black braid slightly singed from the blast.

Jeff stood up and picked his glasses up off the ground. There was a small crack in the left lens. "As I suspected. Ness seems to be the cause of the corruption of the Earth's energy" he said, putting his glasses back on. "PSI won't work on him in this state."

"Wait, the energy of the Earth is corrupted?" Paula said, fear filling her eyes. "You mean like…"

"Yes…" Jeff said, adjusting his glasses, "Just like Giygas."


	5. Chapter 5

Ness woke up. The sun was shining and the breeze was cool. He felt grass underneath his hands. He sat up. He was wearing his stripped shirt and baseball cap. Ness looked at his hands and plunged them into the warm wet earth beneath the grass. _Solid_, he thought_ is this real?_

"As real as you want it to be," a familiar voice said from behind him. Ness stood up and turned around, he was facing himself, his past self, his younger self. "This is Magicant," Young Ness said.

"But Magicant was destroyed," Ness attested, "and besides, the Magicant I remember was strange and otherworldly. Giant vegetables grew from the ground and the world changed color with my emotions. This is nothing like that place."

"Your mind has grown," another voice said. Ness turned to see Poo. "Through training, the passage of time, and natural development, your mind has expanded, Ness. The world you remember was the dream of a child's unconscious mind. This is a young man's world now, and it is not as forgiving."

"What do you mean?" Ness said, Poo walked next to Young Ness.

"This is your stronghold, Ness," another voice said. Ness turned to see Jeff. "Something has been growing in your unconscious, fear, doubt, sadness, evil…Giygas. By ignoring him and letting him grow, you have corrupted the energy of Earth. You neglected to remember your connection with the planet, Ness. If you had only told us, your friends, about this, it could have been averted."

Ness cringed. "I wanted to tell you, I did, I really did," Ness pleaded, "but how could I? I was a hero, a hero doesn't relapse into madness; a hero doesn't have weakness!"

"You didn't trust us?" another familiar voice said. This one made Ness still, he didn't want to turn and see. Out of the corner of his eye, Paula came into view. "Your closest friends, the one you love, you didn't trust us and now you are under attack due to your own arrogance." Paula began to cry, "I love you Ness but with love there needs to be trust, and I can't love you if you don't trust me!"

Ness fell to his knees. He began to sob, "I'm so sorry!" he repeated over and over.

"You betrayed me," Poo said,

"You betrayed me," Jeff said,

"You betrayed me," Young Ness said.

Ness looked up at Paula, "P-P-Paula?" he managed to say.

"You betrayed me," Paula said, and with that, the images of his friends, and his younger self evaporated into the air in wisps of smoke, leaving Ness sobbing in the grass, alone. The wind was cool, and it rustled the leaves of a nearby tree. The grass flowed in waves of alternated shades of green as the wind whipped each blade too and fro. Ness stood up and dried his eyes. The sky was blue and speckled with puffy white clouds and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Ness held himself tight and shuffled over to the tree on a hill. He sat in the shade and buried his face in his knees. He sat there, wallowing in self-pity, until he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Ness gasped and looked up at a strange small creature looking at him with bright black eyes. It looked like a cat, or a mouse, or even a ferret. But it was standing on two legs and it had no fur. It had a long tale that was forked at the end. Its little mouth smiled.

"Hello," the creature said. Ness heard the creature with his mind, not with his ears.

"H-hello," Ness replied.

"Why are you sad?" the creature asked, it tilted its head a little.

"I did something very bad," Ness said, "I was stupid and didn't trust my friends when I should have."

The creature sat down next to Ness. "At least you have friends," it said, "all I have is Mother."

"M-Mother?" Ness asked.

The creature nodded, "Yeah, she's not like me though," it said, "she's a funny looking creature, a lot like you. She's usually here with me but I guess she's resting." The creature scratched it's head, "Who are you?"

"I'm Ness," Ness said, "At least I think I am…"

"Hmmm?" the creature grunted, "How can you be someone and not someone at the same time?"

"I don't know, but that's how I feel," Ness said, "Who are you?"

"My name's Giygas," it said.

Ness froze. "G-Giygas?!" he stammered.

"Yeah, but Mother calls me Little One," the creature said. "Call me that instead, I like that name more."

Ness hesitated, "O-Okay, Little One," he said, scared of the creature, "how did you get here?"

"Oh, this is where I live!" Little One said, "I play here, and sing with Mother, and explore the fields and dig in the dirt."

"You live here?" Ness asked, "in Magicant?"

"Magic…ant?" Little one said, "I don't know what a Magic ant is but I'm sure they're around here some place. Do you want help looking for one I could help! I'm great at finding things!" Little one smiled.

Ness felt a little more at ease. He chuckled a little, "No, Magicant, it's a place," he said. "It doesn't matter, I don't think I'm ever going to leave this place anyway…"

"Well that means you're here with me now!" Little One said, "I'm stuck here too, I'm glad I have a friend now." Ness smiled at Little One, and Little One smiled back. The two sat in silence and listened to the wind whistle through the canopy above them.

** . . .**

"It happened a little over a year ago," Poo said, "I felt the world starting to fall out of balance. The air wasn't as fresh, the wind was harsher, and the rain stung. I went to Jeff and we planned."

Jeff pulled out a small object that looked like a pocket watch. "I made this," he said, "It measures the level of disruption with the Earth's energy. It also gives us a signal of the source." Jeff held the device over Ness, the device began to shake and ping. It then sparked and a small puff of smoke came out from between the seams. "Ness is the cause."

"But how…" Paula began, "how is Ness the cause? He seemed fine today, expect he hurt himself teleporting to Twoson. I have no idea what could be causing this." The three were silent; the only sound came from the rain pattering on the roof as the storm passed overhead.

"We could ask his Mother or Tracy," Poo said, "Maybe something in his home life will give us a clue."

"Speaking of home life," Jeff said slyly, eyeing Paula. "How did my invention work?"

Paula punched Jeff in the arm. "Not the time four eyes," she said. "At any rate we can't leave Ness here, we'll have to take him with us."

"Then we have to walk, through the rain, to Onett. Teleporting won't work while we carry him," Poo said. "He may get sick, and we can't heal him with PSI."

"It's our best bet, Poo," Jeff said, "Paula get Ness a raincoat, were heading out now, and gear up there are a lot of enemies out there."

"Okay…" Paula said, hurrying to a closet to retrieve a raincoat for Ness. _Ness please be okay…_she thought as she wrapped a bright yellow raincoat around Ness.

Poo picked up Ness and cradled him in his arms. "I'm ready,"

Jeff took out his laser gun and turned off the safety. "Me too."

Paula wiped her eyes, and ignited her hands with brilliant red flames. "Let's go!"


	6. Chapter 6

Jeff opened the door to the outside world. It was raining hard, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. Paula, Jeff, and Poo stepped out and were met with a sea of hard robotic faces. Phantasmal starmen lined the streets of Twoson. Paula screamed and lunged forward, thrusting a fiery fist into the ground. Flames erupted along a straight path into the ghostly alien figures. Many of them disappeared in puffs of black smoke. Paula lifted her hands and spread them apart in a breaststroke like fashion; the flames rose and spread in a fan shape covering the land in brilliant scarlet light. She waved her hands and the flames disappeared, leaving only steam and charred earth behind. "There, the way is clear," she said with a huff. Jeff and Poo stood stunned for a little bit.

_Oh dear sweet God,_ Jeff thought. _She's powerful!_ "G-good work Paula."

"Y-yeah, whatever," Poo grunted. _It took Jeff and I forever to take out that many starmen, _he thought. But before the team could relax, more starmen phantoms rose from the charred earth, shifting like TV statics. Paula reignited her hands, but Jeff placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We can't just keep fighting them Paula, we have to get Ness to safety!" Jeff said.

Paula's hands cooled to orange. She turned to Jeff and nodded. "Sorry, I just want you all safe…" she said quietly.

"We can hold our own Paula," Poo said with a smile.

Paula closed her eyes and smiled. She waved her arms and covered them all with psychic shields. She opened her eyes once she was done.

Poo stepped forward and with a grunt, lightning struck the ground and opened a path for the team. "Let's get going!" he yelled.

"Right!" Paula and Jeff said together. The three ran through the opening in the sea of phantoms and marched toward Onett. Jeff shot lasers and bazooka shells through the ghosts, fending them off so Poo and Paula could keep them from coming back with ice walls. The strategy worked for a time until the starman phantoms began breaking the ice down and swarmed the team from behind. Jeff pulled out a small device. He pressed the button on top and the starmen ghosts disappeared in puffs of smoke. The device began to spark, so Jeff tossed it aside. They ran fast, and fought hard. Once they reached the outskirts of Onett, they were stopped by police officers.

"The roads are too dangerous for you kids," one officer said. "The Sharks and the Police are at it again and we need to keep everyone safe!" The teens looked at each other before rushing past the cops without even a second glance. "It ain't safe!" the cop yelled at them as they ran up the dirt road into Onett.

The streets of Onett were in chaos. Gang members with shark fin hair-doos beat cops with baseball bats and cut them with knives, while the police fought back with riot gear. "The chaos has finally reached this part of Eagleland," Poo said.

"It must be because Ness's mind couldn't hold it back any longer," Jeff said, dodging a stray bullet. The teens weaved in an out of the fighting; it lasted until they reached the library. From there it was an easy walk to Ness's house. They jogged there and took refuge on the front stoop of Ness's house. Smoke was coming from the chimney. Paula knocked on the door. The door slowly opened revealing Ness's Mom. She swung the door open and hurried the teens inside at the sight of her son in Poo's arms. She closed the door quickly and locked it behind them. Candles adorned the house, lighting the rooms with warmth and color. Ness's Mom and Poo went upstairs and Poo returned soon after.

"She's changing him out of his wet clothes and putting him in his bed," Poo said, sitting next to the fire. "Such a caring woman…" he stared into the fire and lost himself in thought.

Paula sat on a chair near the fire, and Jeff was opposite her. "I hope she can tell us something…" Paula said, bringing her knees up to her chest. "How are you two?"

"I'm fine," Jeff said wiping his glasses clean. The crack in the left lens had widened.

"Hmph…" Poo grunted.

Paula sighed. "That's a relief, I'm glad everyone's okay," she said, "I mean, except for…" Tears began to fill her eyes. She wiped them away quickly as the three heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Ness's Mom appeared and took a seat on the sofa in front of the fire. "I'm glad you all got here when you did," she said. "He's running a fever, and he's very cold, but he's okay."

"How about you?" Jeff asked.

"I'm worried of course," Mom began, "and I have some assumptions about what's going on, but I'd like to hear what you all have to say first." Jeff and Poo told their side of the story, about the disruption of the Earth's energy flow, about how Ness was the cause, and how the world is going into chaos just like when Giygas was invading, only worse. Mom nodded and closed her eyes. She crossed her arms and turned her gaze to Paula. "And you Ms. Polestar, Ness was with you when this happened, do you know what happened?" Paula began talking fast and with care. She left out the more risqué bits of the story but told everyone how she and Ness confessed they're love, danced, went on a walk, and then Ness collapsed once they came inside from the storm. Mom closed her eyes again and moved her lips as if tasting the words she needed to say before saying them, like a chef tasting their food to make sure it's just right. "It sounds like you all have been very brave," she said after a time. "And it sounds like Ness is in trouble and his friends are helping him out the best way they can."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Jeff said.

"Yes, thank you so much for understanding," Paula said.

"How very considerate of you, ma'am," Poo said, "what were these assumptions you were planning on telling us?"

Mom crossed her legs and smoothed out her pants. "Ness has been having nightmares for almost a year now," she said. "He destroyed the dresser his father made him, God rest his soul. He hasn't slept well since they began. He screams and yells about what he experienced Four Years ago while he fought that horrid creature Giygas. He screams out for you all to help him fight. I thought you all would know, you're his closest friends." Jeff, Poo, and Paula all shook their heads and remained silent. "Ah, I see…Call it a Mother's Intuition, but I think Ness is haunted by Giygas and haunted by not telling you about his nightmares. He suffers a Hero's Curse; the feeling he must be above fear, doubt, even trust. What he needs are his friends, even though he needs to work through this himself." Everyone fell silent.

"You know him better than anyone ma'am," Poo said, still facing the fire, "if you think we should be there for him, then we will. I trust your judgment."

"I have an idea," Paula said, "Maybe I can help Ness with my telepathy?"

"PSI won't work on him," Jeff said, standing up and beginning to pace, "But telepathy might, you were able to pierce Giygas's barrier Four Years ago and reach all those people, maybe it'll work again!"

"It's a risk," Poo said, "Paula may become susceptible for this memory of Giygas that his haunting Ness's unconscious mind."

"Do you have a better idea Poo?" Paula snapped, "We're all scarred by what happened and Ness needs to know he's not alone!" Everyone fell silent again. Paula's face turned red with anger. "I have to sleep with all the lights on in my room to keep from having bad dreams, even then I drift back to being kidnapped."

"I don't sleep at all…" Jeff said, "I use the refresher to stay awake I'm so afraid of my dreams and what might come. I spend all night working to distract myself from the memories of Giygas, Paula being kidnapped, even the starmen."

"A king has no fear to his people," Poo said, standing up and turning around. "But to his friends, everything should be revealed." He removed hit shirt revealing scars that crisscrossed his body. "I have never stopped fighting, because if I do, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect the ones I care about. He put his shirt back on and sat down in front of the fire. "It is my shame to bear these scars from battles I fought out of arrogance, out of pride, out of selfishness. But I don't know any other way."

"So we're all messed up then," Paula said, "and none of us told one another? How can we call each other friends when we don't trust one another?!"

"Because…" Jeff began, he clenched his fist, "Because we cared. That's why we didn't tell anyone. Paula, you and Ness have your parents to confide in, but I don't have a dad anymore and I have a life to live. Poo lost his parents when he was a kid and now he's a King now! We're all a little distracted!"

"Jeff, calm yourself," Poo said, he turned to Ness's Mom. "You're the wisest one here ma'am, what's your insight?"

Mom shifted in her seat. "It seems like you all are growing into young adults and your relationships with each other are growing as well," she said, with a smile while standing up. She walked toward the stairs. "I'm going to check on Ness, you all work this out." And with that she walked upstairs and out of sight.

"I'm sorry I shouted Paula," Jeff said meekly, "Ness's Mom is right, we aren't kids anymore. We need to honest with one another."

"We're still young, and maybe we'll grow out of this fear later in life," Poo said, "but for now it's a very real thing."

"More importantly we need to start depending on one another, like when we were traveling," Paula said, "and right now Ness needs us most of all." Jeff and Poo nodded, and the three ascended the stairs up to Ness's room.

** . . .**

Ness opened his eyes and found he was not beneath the tree with Little One anymore. He was in a place similar to the Stonehenge Base in Winters. He looked around to see the place was a plethora of flashing lights and computer screens. _What is this place? _Ness thought. He looked over and saw a woman in a simple blue dress with long black hair. She was looking lovingly at a creature suspended in a large container of clear liquid. Ness walked up to the glass container that held Little One and stood next to the dark haired woman.

"Hello Ness," the woman said. She turned to reveal a woman with a beautiful face and bright, pale blue eyes.

Ness was startled, "Hello…" he said, turning toward the woman. Her gaze was distant and looked as if she was… "Ma'am are you blind? How did you know who I was?"

"Yes Ness," the woman said, "I am blind. Something I was afflicted with at a young age. But I see in my own way." She reached out and touched Ness's baseball cap. "You're a fighter aren't you? Very smart, very brave, powerful in your own right."

Ness took a step back, "Who are you?" he asked.

The woman chuckled and touched the glass container containing Little One. "I am Giygas's Mother of course," she said, "My name is Maria."


	7. Chapter 7

"You're the one who Giygas was calling out to!" Ness said, taking a step back. "You're Maria?'

"Yes," Maria said, smoothing out her long red skirt. "You were just with him weren't you? I can see it in your mind, a twinge of fear and bits of hope are all muddled up in your unconscious. You aren't sure who you are anymore."

Ness frowned and stood his ground. "Look lady, whatever you did to Giygas turned him into a monster," Ness said, getting close to Maria, "as far as I'm concerned you're no better than he was when I defeated him years ago."

"You underestimate love," Maria said, closing her eyes.

"What?"

Maria pressed her hand on the tank, Little One stirred from inside the bubbling liquid. "Love is what turned him into a monster," she said, lowering her hand. "My husband became a cruel man when we were given the task of raising Giygas, he was consumed with understanding PSI, ignorant of the child and the emergence of the ability within my mind. When Giygas grew old enough, he was tasked with killing my husband, which greatly hurt him, I raised him to not hate George and killing anyone would break my heart; he knew this. Love may be blind, but hatred has a million eyes, he turned me away and went to kill the man I once loved."

"But why?" Ness asked.

"Why what?" Maria responded, her eyes narrowing. "Did an alien race task two human beings in raising an infant of their species, why did my husband become obsessed with power and control, why did Giygas cry out my name with his dying breath before being consumed by his own power?" Maria sighed. "Love, hope, and trust my dear child." She turned to face Little One. "Love, hope, and trust. Love of your own species, hope for another, trusting others for to forgive. I taught Giygas through songs, about the seas and the mountains, about vast deserts and verdant jungles, about math and science, but most of all about love and hope and trust. When I was wired to these machines and went into the world that was my son's mind I taught him everything I knew." Maria gestured to a machine behind Ness. It was an amalgamation of wires, glass tubes, and lights. "But soon I did not need that machine and could enter Giygas's mind at will with my own power, the power you have, the power your Paula has: Love"

"What about love?" Ness said, tired of being lectured, "I don't love Giygas I hate him!" and the world around him fell. Ness and Maria were floating in a world of lights, bright pinpoints that drifted like snowflakes. Maria's eyes were intense and burning.

"You hate my child?" she asked.

"He did such horrible things, Maria" Ness said, standing his ground. "you say he did this all because of love? I don't buy it! Not one bit!"

"Love is a monster, Ness," Maria said, her voice still calm. "It makes us do awesome things, terrible at times, great at others, but still awesome." Maria began to cry. "I love Giygas and will forgive him no matter what he does, he was in such pain during your journey Ness. The pain of being loved was too much for him, hearing my song playing in his mind over and over. He could handle the knowledge that after everything he'd done to the Earth I love I still loved him."

Ness backed down. "Love is that powerful?" Ness said; his shoulders slumped. "Love did that to Little One? To Giygas?"

"Yes…" Maria sighed.

Ness remained silent and removed his baseball cap. He brushed off the brim and the world of computers and class tubes returned. "How do we help him?"

"What?"

"How do we help Giygas?" Ness said, with fire in his eyes.

Maria smiled warmly. "There you are Ness," she said extending a hand, "It's finally nice to meet you."

**. . .**

Paula, Jeff, and Poo climbed up the stairs to Ness's room. The air was dense and it was hard to breath. Opening the door to Ness's room, the trio found Ness's Mom by her son's side stroking his hair. She was humming softly as her hands gently moved strands of wet hair about her son's head. Paula stepped forward and placed a hand on Ness's shoulder, she hoped and hoped harder. Thinking deeply. _What can we do to help?_

"We'll leave you three be," Poo said calmly.

Jeff removed his glasses and inspected the crack in his lens. "Yeah, we'll go…do something," he said, shuffling off with Poo.

"Ma'am," Paula said, looking up at Ness's Mom.

"I'm scared Paula," Mom says, "Scared of what could be happening to my boy, but more scared of losing him once this is all done."

"What do you mean?" Paula said, pulling up a chair.

"I know Ness, he'll pull through this, I love and trust him to stay strong," she said turning to Paula. "What I'm scared of is you."

"What?" Paula says, shock in her voice. "I would never hurt him! I've always been there for him. How could you think I'd hurt him?"

"Because he loves you," Mom says plainly, "and no matter how you look at it, love will always bring pain. My hope is that you two will be happy with each other, but with each moment he spends loving you, I worry about losing him completely. He's still my boy after all, he always will be." She looks back at Ness. "No matter what, I will always love him, and hope for the best."

"I would never ever hurt Ness," Paula said.

"Then you can't love him," Mom said. "Because love is a kind of pain in a way, the ache of departure, the sorrow of loss, fights, bitter words, they all come with love. Different from the love I have for Ness, but love has its constants. It's a bittersweet pain."

"So there's no way I can love him without hurting him?" Paula asked. "How can people live like this, knowing this."

"Most people don't," Mom said, "They see marriage as the end all be all expression of love without thinking about the practical. They see fights as moments rather than a heated debate where you must reach a consensus. Love is skewed in our minds by the age we live in, I am not asking you to not love my son, I'm asking you to know what it means. Do you understand?"

Paula looked down at Ness, his cheeks flushed with fever. She grabbed his hand and felt how it shook and trembled. She looked up at Mom with a new resolve. "Yes," she said. "I think I do."

Ness stirred with uneven motions, his fingers contorting in pain. Paula placed a hand on his chest to feel his heart and from deep in herself she thought; _what can we do to help?_

And in a reply only she heard, Ness's heart spoke. _Love, Hope, and Trust._


End file.
